“Operation Silent Night” Aims to Give Every Pet A Home for the Holidays

December 9, 2011

The Richmond Animal League has big plans for this holiday season: the local rescue group aims to adopt out every single animal in their shelter by Christmas Eve--hence the name of the initiative, "Operation Silent Night." Their goal is to have all pets placed in loving, permanent homes by December 23rd, but there are plenty of temporary foster homes lined up in the event that some pets don't have the good fortune of finding a permanent family during the week-long initiative.

"It's such a great way to draw attention to the plight of homeless animals, not only in our shelter, but across the greater Richmond area," says Sarah Clinton, RAL's Community Manager. RAL has taken in nearly one thousand animals so far this year, but there are countless more stray or unwanted pets throughout Richmond--and the nation--in need of good homes.

"We just want all of our shelter animals to be able to experience the joy of having a family of their own, especially during the holiday season. And the community has really reacted positively toward Operation Silent Night, we've had so many people step up and offer to foster animals if need be," says Cynthia Reed, RAL's Volunteer Coordinator. RAL plans to have fosters keep pets through the new year.

Operation Silent Night begins on December 16 and runs through December 23. RAL will be open for adoptions from noon to 8pm on weeknights during that week, and from noon to 6pm over the weekend. Adoption fees will be reduced to $10 for all animals, and the first ten adult cats to be adopted will be completely free.

For more information on how you can help make the initiative a success, please call 804-379-0046.
..